The Interviews
by Jack of Chocolate
Summary: After the Joker is claimed dead, three courageous people emerge to speak out about the Joker's childhood. Three interviews, one truth. And another echo of laughter. Joker-centric, Nolanverse. Complaints, don't read.


A/N: So, it's been quite a while. I come back with another obsession which I try to hide in the real world. I decided to do a Batman fic like no other, so here it is. This was based on Nolanverse, but I think it can be viewed as the original too.

Please try to enjoy. Seriously.

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The Interviews

_A tape had been playing on the small television. The conversation continues between two people on the screen._

_Mr. Taylor's Interview:_

"Oh, he was really smart. He always got every damn question right without a doubt. And the weird thing is he never actually studied for these dang tests or quizzes. He just _did_ them like he had the answers in front of him."

"Are you implying that the Joker was a genius?"

_The man pauses and looks down at his hands. He wore a slightly unbelievable smile. _"…Guess I am. Yeah, I guess I am."

"Did he socialize with his classmates?"

_He looks back up. _"He was never much of a social butterfly at all. Most of the time, he'd spend the period reading a difficult book much beyond his age like _Lolita_ or _The Stranger_ instead of socializing. Sometimes he'd even take a nap at his desk. Also, most of the kids left him alone, which is what he preferred, I think. Maybe because of his high level of intelligence, he'd already been kicked out of his small society at a young age."

"Did he ever show acts of violence against his classmates or teachers?"

_He gave a small chuckle._ "Actually, despite what most people may think, he didn't make a peep. He always stared ahead at the board with these intense, green eyes that I admittedly was kind of always intimidated by. I don't think I even remember him ever asking questions. He silently copied down notes, kept everything organized at his desk. I liked having the students organize things properly, so I had no real complaint about that. I always praised him for receiving excellent grades, but all he ever did was nod slightly and return to his seat without a single word. On rare occasions I spotted him gritting his teeth at something except I didn't know what—I just thought it was normal behavior."

"Thank you for all your time, Mr. Taylor."

"Oh, you're welcome. I'm glad I can talk about it freely—to let people know what he was really like."

_The tape continues to play. Then it plays on the start of another interview. The notepad to the left the TV reads: "The teacher who taught the Joker mathematics during the same year as the previous teacher."_

_Mrs. Stroud's Interview:_

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Stroud. How are you?"

"A little nervous, I suppose. I've never had the opportunity to talk about this so freely."

"It's alright. Let us know all of the details. For starters, how was his behavior in class?"

_The plump woman shudders, and then speaks again with a surprisingly even tone._ "His behavior was horrendous. He often bullied his classmates, took their lunch money, and stole their precious belongings. And he'd do all of it without one guilty outburst on his part, which should be common amongst moral children. He would also always lie when the truth was obvious. If one were to ask him, "Did you steal that boy's pen?" he would reply, "No." despite the fact that he held in his palm! He had the most outrageous behavior I have ever witnessed."

_The interviewer appears a bit confused as she takes notes. She lets it go and asks another question._ "How did he participate in his activities?"

_Mrs. Stroud scowled and frowned with her voice._ "Oh, he always did show-off in front of the other students. He always finished first and would announce it to the world. It's good that children have confidence in their abilities, but he was made of pure arrogance. If another student did not complete the task, he would rub in his face, taunting them. The terrible part was that there was not one student able to beat him in his intellectual ability no matter how much effort they put into it. He was too smart; now there's the problem." _She nodded vigorously, trying to appear wise._

"I see. Did he ever come to class with scars?"

_She scoffs and rolls her eyes. _"That boy's never had a proper beating in his life. I'll tell you, his parents are at fault here. They showered him with praises and gave him too much love, that's what happened. He never got in touch with the real world and never learned his place. His parents just let him do whatever the hell he wanted and didn't care because he was their precious son. That's not how the real world works."

"Did his parents ever come to the meetings?"

_She looks hesitant._ "Well… no. But I know for certain that they just didn't want to hear about their son's bad behavior. They didn't want to face the truth either, so why would their son want to?"

"Right. Anyway, thank you for your time, Mrs. Stroud."

"No problem. I'm just here to spread the truth about that wicked child."

_The notepad is now flipped over a page. This reads: "The counselor who, uh, counseled the Joker a few times."_

_Ms. Patrick's Interview:_

"Good evening, Ms. Patrick."

_She, at first, is a little startled. Then she looks down at her lap and fiddles with end of her skirt._ "H-hello. Good evening."

"Okay, let's get started. What was his first problem when he came to you for help?"

_She fumbles over a few words at first and then speaks steadily._ "He had come to me for a little advice in preparing a joke. He wanted to pull one o-over his father, so I just l-listened to him without a lot of thought. He, um, t-told me that his father was never home and didn't like to listen to h-him. Th-then I suggested a harmless joke, like a h-hand buzzer or something. He g-giggled so I thought he liked the idea. He thanked me and w-walked out of my office."

"Do you know if he went through with the joke?"

_She makes a nervous half-cough and half-laugh sound. _"I s-s-suppose he did. He came back to my office few days later with some t-terrible b-bruises and I asked w-where he received them and he told me not to worry about it. He always smiled pleasantly and c-cracked jokes that were quite ch-charming, actually. I al-always knew him as a w-witty student. In all honesty, he made me feel at ease s-sometimes."

"I see. Now, tell me, did the Joker ever place you in a harmful situation?"

_Her eyes fire up with some suddenly ignited passion and raises her voice._ "Why do you people always think he would have been a poisonous child? How can you just judge a person in such shallow ways? Why did you have to drive him over the edge?" 

_She stands up and hovers over the interviewer. She grits her teeth._ "He was hanging on the cliff of sanity, his small hands only slightly gripping its edges; and no one ever helped him get back on stable ground. No; instead, you let him fall endlessly into the dark, hellish depths that is insanity. His entire mind and logic belonged to this madness; now all of his sanity is insanity because he built everything around it for so long." 

_She paused and sat back down with crossed arms. She lowered her voice with some hushed danger._ "When you fall like that, there is no control, no destination, no purpose, and no limit. You are weightless, and nothing can change that. Because when that gravitational pull of excessive freedom calls for you, you cannot help but indulge. He proved to us that human beings are nothing compared to everything out there, because we don't even count in that other world. And he proved to us that our life is a _joke_; that our lives cannot even amount to a speck in the galaxy's eye. And that is the truth."

_The tape cuts off. A hand ejects the tape and places in back into its case. _

_The hand then reaches for the window near the TV, drawing back its blinds. Through the clear windows, there are buildings and structures standing gloriously with much pride. The hand rests now on the desk, slightly tapping at a slow rhythm. Suddenly, one of the magnificent towers explodes into a fiery flame then descends down in a terrifying crash. Its aftermath echoes across the city. _

_There are screams in the neighborhood, and the screams of the people dying within the broken tower can almost be heard. The howling of fire trucks resonate throughout this urban setting. Within the room, there is a slight snickering. _

_Then it erupts into laughter. _

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A/N: Thank you for reading what I could muster.

Please review.


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